The present disclosure generally relates to measurement and analysis of temporal, spatial, and contextual effects on lung function of individuals, and more particularly relates to a method and system for measuring changes in characteristics of an individual's speech and vocal tract related air flow and from those measurements, along with other related temporal, spatial, and contextual information, determining the presence of triggers for airflow related disease, and informing individuals regarding such triggers.
Pulmonary health and capacity can be seriously impacted by various types of pulmonary disease and by external disease triggers such as, but not limited to, pollen count, smog, and various types of air pollution.
The most common symptoms of asthma include shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness and a dry, irritating, continual cough, all caused at least in part by narrowing of the airway. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, involves a gradual progression from inflation to the small airways that limits airflow to the destruction of alveolar walls and capillaries which leads to loss of elasticity. Symptoms of emphysema therefore include a distinctive cough and shortness of breath.
Triggers for acute disease can have drastic immediate effects on individuals. Likewise triggers that affect chronic disease on a day to day basis can have a substantial effect on an individual. Knowledge of what and where these triggers are and how to avoid or mitigate them can be very powerful information for afflicted individuals.